The 23 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters forecast UnitedHealth will report a slight increase in Q4 earnings per share to $1.19, up from $1.17 a share last year.

Revenue is expected to climb 8.7% to $28.18 billion, vs. $25.92 billion the same quarter last year.

Its stock has traded in a fairly narrow range since an early summer sell-off and closed about in the middle of that range Monday at 53.36 — below the 50-day moving average.

The overall Medical-Managed Care group — in sharp contrast to bullish biotechs and hospitals — has been a market laggard. It's now ranked No. 163 out of IBD's 197 industries, down from No. 58 just four weeks earlier.

So investors will be eyeing UnitedHealth's results and guidance for clues about the outlook for health insurers generally. Key questions include whether patients will visit the doctor more often and how insurers expect ObamaCare's rollout to impact future results.

On Nov. 26, UnitedHealth giant cut its 2013 earnings per share guidance to $5.25 to $5.50, below consensus at the time of $5.58 a share. CEO Stephen Hemsley cited rising costs, especially for government mandates like ObamaCare, and the weak economy.

Still, UnitedHealth has beaten Wall Street estimates every quarter for at least two years.

Medicaid expansion under ObamaCare is expected to raise costs for health insurers. And UnitedHealth is the country's largest Medicaid provider, serving more than 3 million people, though some insurers have a higher relative exposure.

The report also comes amid what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said is now officially a flu epidemic.

Aetna (AET) CEO Mark Bertolini said during an address at the JPMorgan health care conference on Jan. 8 that Aetna usually spends $40 million to $50 million a year on flu costs, but that jumped to about $100 million during the flu epidemic in 2009.

"We don't see this flu season, even at its worst, getting close to that," Bertolini said.

The stock market continued to rebound Monday, as the major indexes rallied more than 1%. The Dow Jones industrial average led with a 1.5% surge as Boeing (NYSE:BA), Chevron (NYSE:CVX), UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) and new component Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) climbed more than 2%. The Nasdaq and S&P 500 ...

Stocks ended near session highs Monday, buoyed by acquisitions and hopes for stimulus in China. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 1.5%, while the the S&P 500 and Nasdaq each climbed 1.2%. Volume in the stock market today was mixed, down on the NYSE and up on Nasdaq compared to Friday's ...

Dovish comments from China's central bank chief and good news on some Dow Jones industrial average components sent stocks higher by midday Monday. The Dow rose 1.5%; the S&P 500 gained 1% and the Nasdaq ramped up 0.9% in the stock market today. Volume was tracking higher on the Nasdaq and a bit ...

03/30/2015 12:15 PM ET

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